


i've been thinking too much

by joshuaadun



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Kind of cliche, M/M, Smut, actually really cliche so far, this was originally a oneshot but is turning into more
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-20
Updated: 2016-07-29
Packaged: 2018-07-25 13:13:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7534051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joshuaadun/pseuds/joshuaadun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>HELLOOOO sorry for the lack of updates. i hope this makes up for it i wrote most of it in like three days</p>
    </blockquote>





	1. first

**Author's Note:**

> HELLOOOO sorry for the lack of updates. i hope this makes up for it i wrote most of it in like three days

tyler hated this single-syllable word more than he hated his self.

the word reminded him of the bitter words he spat at the ones he loved, of the crinkled pages with grimacing words that he stained with his own tears—and most importantly—the poisonous, fucked up thoughts that kept tyler awake at night and caused the bitter, grimacing words.

it's hard for tyler to stop the darkness that is his own brain. he clutches his temples and screams "shut up!", until he can feel a migraine pulsing and sees black spots cloud his vision. it doesn't work, it never does.

so, tyler writes. he will scribble down anything that comes to mind, whether it be a jumble of evil words, rough sketches that make tyler gasp, and sometimes a poem. when tyler writes the latter, he knows he'll make it. at that point, he's turned ugly, concerning thoughts into something beautiful. something that makes sense.

however, tyler is not always this fortunate. it's a different story when he draws horrid pictures and writes terrifying words. his brain draws him back into the pool of persistent thoughts that make tyler sink to the bottom. he never dealt with it well, as it often led to tyler doing something he probably shouldn't, something he'll regret later. which brings us here.

the night scene.

it's something tyler never knew he'd get to be so familiar with. if you told twenty-four-year-old tyler he went out to clubs almost every weekend, he'd laugh in your face. besides, should an emotional wreck that struggles to be social as it is be involved in such a scene?

apparently, _yes_. here tyler was at twenty-seven, on a summer friday night, at a night club. when he was new to this, he'd go to the popular club that all his college friends used to go to (they always tried to drag him along, but he locked himself away in his dorm room with his term papers). he learned from this club, located in the eccentric city of columbus, that women are beautiful creatures. all the women he met deserved the softest touches and delicate kisses to the hand. don't get him wrong, he liked women; but all the women he's taken home over the past few years have been too soft, too gentle. this time, he wants to be the one getting fucked. he wants bruises pressed into his hips and his neck bitten up until it bleeds. none of the women could give him that. and tyler had always liked men. even as a teenager. however, he never acted upon his feelings for the handful of men found attractive. it was more so for the sake of his parents, who weren't exactly homophobic, but would prefer tyler to settle down with a girl rather than a guy.

so when tyler walks into the gay club, he doesn't know what to make of it. it looks exactly like a regular club except, of course, there only being gay men. there's bodies everywhere and the faint smell of cologne and sweat hangs in the air, and the bass from the music pulses in his chest. usually, tyler will take a seat at the bar and buy a girl a drink if he sees one sitting at the bar. if not, he would watch the dancing bodies from afar and wait until there was a woman that caught his eye. he knows what words to use to charm a girl, what gestures, the whole nine yards. he was practically an expert on getting women into his bed, he's been doing it for three years. but now he feels like a fish being dumped into a new tank.

there is no turning back now, so tyler weaves his way through the sea of people. a couple smile at him and tyler returns a weak smile back before moving past them, repeating this process until he makes his way out of the crowd and to the bar. there's only a single other man sitting there, which tyler finds a little hard to believe. wait, did the guy have _pink hair?_ or is it just the fluorescent lighting? tyler's feet keep moving and he's not sure exactly what to do, so he just sits on the barstool next to the man. then the man looks at him.

and oh wow is tyler's breath taken away. the man has almond-shaped eyes that look like they're brown, high cheekbones, and fleshy pink lips that tyler really wants to bite and suck on. and holy shit, the guy does have cotton candy hair, and his ears are gauged and his nose has a silver ring. the man isn't just beautiful, he's a fucking work of art.

"hey." the man simply says, with a grin that displays his perfect chiclet-white teeth, and tyler swears his heart just stopped. he's never been this stunned by anyone before, especially never a woman. "i'm josh."

tyler swallows hard and suddenly feels...nervous. he's _never_ nervous! okay, maybe he felt a little anxiety when it came to tests and work, but he definitely never felt anything close to anxiety when he talked to girls. but now he can feel his hands shaking a little bit and his brain having trouble processing what words to say next.

"i'm tyler." he manages to choke out the words, his voice cracking slightly.

"tyler," josh repeats, and oh god does it look good rolling off of his tongue. "nice to meet you. what will you have?"

he looks at josh with bewilderment before he catches on. "wait, you want to buy _me_ a drink?" he points to his own chest, making sure josh isn't confusing him with a different tyler.

"how could i be stupid enough to not buy someone as cute as yourself a drink?" he grins, revealing his pretty teeth again and his eyes crinkling.

josh flags down the bartender, ordering both of them rum and coke. tyler's happy with josh's choice, not really feeling up to getting shitfaced since he has to work tomorrow night.

"thank you." tyler blushes, feeling like a schoolgirl. he brings his straw up to his mouth and takes a sip, enjoying the sweetness and not (like usual) burning his throat with vodka and god knows what else.

"it's my pleasure, really." he smiles, taking a sip of his own drink. "you out here with your friends?" he asks casually, simply just making conversation.

"just here by myself," he half-mumbles. "my first time coming here, actually."

josh nods. "what brought you here?"

tyler shrugs. "i dunno i just," he sighs. "tired of everything. tired of my job, my family, women."

josh chuckles and tyler felt his heart swell with how adorable josh sounded. "yeah, i definitely get that. my girlfriend actually broke up with me a couple weeks ago."

"oh, i'm sorry to hear that." tyler frowns. he took another drink.

"don't be! it's not your fault, of course. i'm over it, you know? i'll be okay. let's talk about you, though. what do you do?" josh turns to face tyler even more, making tyler's heart beat even faster with the close proximity.

"i uh, i work at a music shop. on main street." tyler can't believe he let those words come out of his mouth. he never told girls where he worked. if they asked, he always said it was in a small city outside of columbus.

"really?" josh sounds interested, which bewilders tyler. in the game of women, tyler could always read them, and always felt confident enough to say the right words. now, he's not sure if it's men that intimidate him or if it's just josh. "i'm in a band, actually. we're on a break for the summer and we kind of suck, but hey, it's something right?" he smiled again, and tyler really couldn't get enough of it.

and tyler thought that was awesome, someone in a band. tyler always kind of wanted to pursue music, but was never sure. "no, that's really cool! do you play..." he pauses, looking down at josh. he has a very muscular build, veins popping out from the surface along his arms, and he definitely has to have abs under his t-shirt. a colorful sleeve of tattoos covers his right arm. it was practically a giveaway. he tears his eyes away and focuses them back on josh's face. "drums?"

"yeah, how'd you know?" he laughs.

"lucky guess."

\---

he spent probably an entire hour talking to josh (tyler usually kept it to twenty minutes with the girls, he wasn't ever interested in their life and the conversation). they both have a lot in common and even like some of the same bands. he learned that josh likes cats more than dogs, his favorite color, his middle name, and just so many more trivial things that tyler found absolutely fascinating.

but now they're a couple drinks in. neither of them are entirely drunk, but definitely buzzed. they're both leaned into each other, giggling, and suddenly a hand is on tyler's thigh. tyler looks down at the gripped hand, then looks back up at josh. "is this okay?" he asks.

tyler doesn't answer for a minute. josh is about to retract his hand, but tyler holds it in place with his own. "it's fine, i just, i don't," he closes his eyes. "i don't want to **think**." he flutters them back open, josh looking at him with an unreadable expression.

but then josh just nods. he takes his hand off of tyler's thigh and brings it up to cup his jaw, leaning in to press his lips to tyler's own. tyler can't help but kiss back, desperately moving his lips against josh's and bringing his hands around the back of josh's neck, absentmindedly tugging at the ends of his fuchsia hair. josh hums and pulls off, catching his breath. "come home with me." he whispered in tyler's ear, his hot breath against the shell of his ear making tyler's knees weaker than they already are. at a loss for words tyler just nods, allowing josh to take his hand and lead him out of the club and onto the street. there was already a taxi waiting for them, and tyler wondered when josh called the taxi.

but for right now tyler can only focus on the hand that's leading him straight into the back of the taxi. as soon as they get in and the door is shut, josh quickly tells the driver his address and his hand is back on tyler's thigh. except this time it's moved medially, inching it's way up. the drive feels like forever when josh's hand gets dangerously close to tyler's crotch, but his fingers never touch it.

tyler lets out a sigh of relief when they finally get to josh's house. it's actually kind of big, which surprises tyler. josh quickly pays the driver and tells him to keep the change, pulling tyler out of the cab with him.

josh stops to give tyler one more needy kiss before his shaky hands struggle to fit the key into the door lock. as soon as he gets the door open, he pulls tyler in and shoves him against the door, causing tyler to gasp.

"god, d'you have any idea what you do to me, tyler?" he groans, attaching his lips to tyler's neck. he nibbles his way down to the junction, nipping down hard and tyler moans embarrassingly loud as he feels sharp incisors pinch the thin skin. josh then proceeds to lick a hot, wet stripe up the column of tyler's neck, and he swears he's going to come in his pants before josh ever gets a chance to touch him.

"j-josh," tyler whines, bucking his hips for any friction he can possibly create to relieve his hard-on.

"quiet," he commanded, his eyes darkening with lust in the dim light. "don't say another word."

and tyler couldn't help but let out another moan at his orders. this was...new. this was different. it's exactly what he needed and more. josh took his hand once more, this time intertwining their fingers as he led tyler upstairs into his bedroom, legs barely shuffling up the stairs with how weak his knees felt. he had no time to look at the scenery around him before he's thrown onto the duvet, josh's lips reattached to his neck, sucking another bruise right under his jaw that was sure to be tender to the touch two days from now. but that didn't stop tyler from craning his neck to give josh better access. he attacked his neck with a few more kisses and bites before pulling off, tugging tyler's shirt over his head.

"so pretty," he murmured in the shell of tyler's ear, causing tyler to whine and buck his hips. "you're so needy. just for me, yeah?" he asks, placing his hands on tyler's hips to stop their jerking, and tyler can only fervently nod his head. josh splotches wet kisses down tyler's chest before wrapping his lips around one of his nipples, his tongue occasionally darting out to circle the nub until it hardens. tyler writhes underneath josh.

josh ventures downward, leaving trails of kisses until he stops right at the top of the waistband of tyler's pants and boxers. "are you okay with this? you can answer." he looks up at tyler with wide eyes and his lips parted, and tyler swears he could come from the sight of just that alone.

"god, y-yes josh please—"

"ssh, i got you." he coos, moving his hands to undo the button and zipper of tyler's pants, pulling down tylers boxers with them, tyler's dick coming out with a slight thud against his belly. precome glistened on the tip of his pink head. "you've got such a pretty cock," he groans, and tyler whines at the praise. "what do you want, baby?" his eyes looked up at tyler's again and tyler curses under his breath, fisting the sheets. "want your m-mouth, please josh."

josh gives in to his pleads and steadies his hands on tyler's hips, leaning down to lick a thick stripe from the base all the way to the tip, causing tyler to cry out at the attention his painful boner was finally getting. josh quickly licks his hand and wraps it around the base of tyler's cock, giving it a couple quick strokes while giving kitten-licks to the swollen head of his dick. tyler desperately tries to buck his hips but josh keeps an arm across them. he swirls the tip of his tongue around the head, occasionally pressing it to the slit.

"josh—" tyler is about to beg and plead but is cut off by a throat-ripping moan, as josh finally wraps his lips around just the head. tyler throws his head against the pillow and fists the sheets. josh starts moving down the shaft, taking a little more each time, his hand working what didn't fit in his mouth. when he felt josh fucking _moan_ around his cock, he shuddered and threw his head back onto the pillows, whining at the vibrations that tingled up his spine. he pulled off of tyler for a moment, taking in a breath of air and before tyler could whine, he was back on his cock. only this time, instead of moving only a third of the way down, he kept pushing down until tyler's dick hit the back of his throat.

and josh didn't just stop there, he kept going. his throat began to swallow around him, until josh had taken his entire length in his mouth and his nose nestled below his navel. tyler screamed out and immediately grabbed josh's hair, forcing him to hold his breath. tyler made the mistake of looking down at the sight below him.

josh was giving him eye contact the whole time, tears beginning to spill out of the corner of his brown almond-shaped eyes as he choked around tyler, but he didn't let up yet. his lips are stretched completely around his cock and his cheeks are hollowed out, and it's the most beautiful sight tyler has ever seen. no one has ever taken his cock so well, and tyler could come right now at just the sight alone. which reminds him.

"josh, 'm gonna come if you keep doing that," he warns, and josh finally pulls off of him, gasping for air and wiping the drool off of his chin.

"do you want to come?"

it's really hard for tyler to not force josh's mouth back on him and fuck his throat until it's sore, but he shakes his head. "not yet." he's blushing, and tyler mentally scolds himself to stop being so shy.

but josh doesn't seem bothered by it at all, and gets up off of the bed, walking over to the nightstand. he pulls out the drawer and fishes out a bottle of lube and a condom, returning back to tyler. he pulls his t-shirt up over his head, discarding it to the floor and tyler sucks in a breath. sure, tyler thought he was a breathtaking work of art just an hour ago. but now, watching the pale flesh of his ripped muscles flex from his pecs to his well-defined abs and perfectly slotted hips, he was a masterpiece; like he was sculpted by the gods themselves.

"you're so pretty," tyler blurts out, not meaning for his thought to become speech. tyler would never say this to any of the girls, which makes him wonder why he's saying it now, to josh.

it's not a very sexy choice of words either, which only deepens tyler's flush. however, josh just gives him a heartfelt smile and actually starts blushing. tyler can't believe it, he made the most beautiful person he's ever seen blush.

josh settles himself back between tyler's legs, uncapping the lube and drizzling a generous amount of it onto his fingers. tyler gasps when he feels josh's finger circle his entrance, and then gasps even louder when he feels it start to slowly slide in. it doesn't really hurt, but it feels...different. it's slightly uncomfortable, and he's not sure what to think. josh finally pushes his finger in until he's knuckle-deep, and then moves it back halfway, before plunging it in again. that's when tyler really starts to feel it, the uncomfortable feeling no longer noticeable and only the pleasure that comes with it. "josh—" he pleads, but he's not sure what he wants.

"you want another?" josh **thinks** for him. tyler nods quickly, josh reading his mind.

josh deliberately inserts his middle finger, tyler crying out and starting to rock his hips onto josh's fingers. he leans down to capture tyler in an open-mouthed kiss, tyler whimpering into his mouth as he began moving his fingers in a scissoring motion, twisting and stretching his fingers until tyler pulls off and lets out a guttural moan, throwing his head back against the headboard when josh hits a certain spot that makes him see spots. josh looks at him with a sly grin, pulling out his fingers and tyler whines at the loss of contact. he quickly stands up to peel off his jeans and boxers, and picks up the condom he left on the edge of the bed. he kneels on the mattress, beginning to tear open the wrapper.

"wait," tyler sits up, josh stopping his movements with the condom between his fingers. "can i, can i do it?" he looks up at josh with sparkling eyes.

"god, yeah." tyler takes the wrapper from his hands and tears the package with nimble fingers, looking down at josh's cock. it's larger in length, but not quite as thick around as tyler's. the tip is leaking precome and matches the color of josh's dark pink lips. tyler really wants nothing more than to wrap his own lips around his cock and choke on it the way josh did to his own, but he hopes there'll be another time to do that.

he can't give much more thought to his last thought, sliding the condom onto josh's dick, josh groaning as he slides it down his entire length. it's the hottest sound tyler's ever heard. he looks up at josh whose eyebrows are creased and his mouth is hung open, brown eyes focusing on tyler's own. he finishes rolling it onto him and then leans up to give josh another chaste kiss before leaning back onto the duvet, keeping his eyes on josh's.

josh slicked himself with lube once more, throwing the bottle onto the floor and giving himself a few more strokes before lining himself up with tyler, giving him one more questioning look. "please, josh just fuck me already."

and josh looks slightly taken aback by tyler's words, but groans nonetheless. he begins to push in, tyler hissing at the slightly unpleasant feeling. he doesn't tell josh to stop, though, so he pushes in a little more. he groans again, probably trying his best to not take it slow and tyler appreciates that.

he keeps slowly pushing in, leaning down to press his forehead against tyler's, giving tyler kisses to distract him from the discomfort. tyler never knew such small gestures could mean the world to him. they stayed like that for a moment, completely still in time.

"you okay?" josh fluttered his eyes open, pulling his sweat slick forehead off of tyler's.

"yeah," tyler breathlessly laughed. "can you, um, m-move now?" he asks, unsure.

josh nods, pulling almost all the way out and slamming back in, tyler crying out in a mix of pain and pleasure. josh began to slowly rock his hips, the pain quickly turning into straight pleasure, both tyler and josh moaning in sync. "josh, please— h-harder, please?" it comes out as a question.

josh obliges, gripping tyler's hips and thrusting into him with more force, building up his rhythm and never missing a beat. he moves upward to get a different angle, and then he hits that spot again, causing tyler to scream out josh's name and a few curses. josh has that same grin on his face. "found it," he smirks, but it soon turns into his jaw going slack. "shit."

tyler's face contorts in pleasure, his eyes rolled to the back of his skull as josh slams into him, grabbing his hips hard enough that there was sure to be bruises. "j-josh—" he cuts himself off with a moan. "i'm g-going to—" he doesn't finish his sentence as he's cut off again, one of josh's hands releasing their death grip on his hip and then wrapping around his cock, giving him sloppy strokes.

"go ahead—fuck—come for me." he grunts, and tyler loses it when he looks directly into josh's eyes, coming with josh's name on his lips and a string of curses. white ribbons of come spurt out onto josh's hand and tyler's stomach, josh working him through his orgasm. "oh, tyler," josh's rhythm begins to get sloppy and his hips falter before he's spilling into the condom.

he pulls out and ditches the used condom, and rolls over next to tyler, the two staring at the ceiling and panting heavily. tyler then looks over at josh, staring at him. his cheeks are flushed and his hair is sticking to his sweat-slick head. josh looks over at him. "what?"

tyler shyly smiles. "nothing, just," he looks away. "thank you."

josh chuckles, before leaning over to give tyler a chaste kiss. "my pleasure, truly." they both laugh at the irony, josh then getting up to grab a washcloth to clean up tyler. he settles back onto the bed, covering himself with the comforter before inviting tyler to join him, wrapping his arms around him. they both fell asleep like that.

-

tyler woke up the next morning to unfamiliar surroundings, before he remembered the events of last night. he sat up and realized the bed was empty.

"josh?" he called out, groggily walking over to the dresser where a set of clothes were set on top, folded neatly. a folded piece of notebook paper laid on top of the clothes. he unfolded the note, eyes scanning it:

tyler,

sorry i had to leave you, i had a meeting with my band today. i didn't want to wake you up. here's a pair of my clothes, you can borrow them and give them back next time. if there is a next time (i hope)?

and his phone number was scrawled across the bottom.

tyler couldn't help the giddy smile plastered on his face, and the way his heart swelled.

josh totally made him soft.


	2. ready

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! i wrote this and made this more chapters bc i think itll be fun. this is a short chapter, i'll start working on the third pronto™

tyler's eyes blankly stare at the blue cursor, watching it flicker on and off of his phone screen.

it's the night after last night with josh. josh ended up calling a cab just for him to take him home, and also gave tyler his number, and his clothes. he's still wearing the black hoodie he gave him; it smells like mint, detergent, and just like josh in general. he rolls over on his bed, sighing.

tyler: hey, it's tyler. i was wondering if you were free this sunday?

tyler shakes his head, holding the backspace button. was his text being too straightforward? did it make him sound like he was way too into josh? he has no idea. maybe he should just call him.

and that sounds like a good idea to tyler, so he presses the home button and opens the phone app. but, he can't bring himself to click on josh's name. his thumb hovers over it for a good minute, contemplating every possible scenario and more importantly, everything that could go wrong.

there's no turning back now, he thinks, so he finally presses his thumb to the screen and then holds his phone to his ear. it rings once, twice, three times. josh must be busy, tyler concludes. so, he's about to pull the phone away from his ear and end the call, when the familiar voice fills tyler's right ear with a "hello?"

tyler freezes. he didn't quite plan out what he was going to say like he should've. "oh, um, h-hey it's tyler. tyler joseph. from the uh, yeah." he face-palms at how nervous he obviously sounds.

"oh, hey tyler!" he chirps. "i'm really glad you called." tyler could feel his chest fluttering at the sound of his voice. "how've you been?"

"uh, g-good. i'm good. you?"

"likewise." he hums. "hey, are you, um, are you free tomorrow night?" tyler's heart skipped a beat. holy shit, the beautiful pink-haired man was asking tyler on a date. a man that could have literally anyone he wanted. he would be wondering if josh had the wrong number if it weren't for tyler calling first. "tyler? you still there?"

tyler shakes himself out of his thoughts. "oh! um, yeah. totally. i'm free tomorrow."

"great!" josh beams. "just text me your address later and i can pick you up tomorrow at eight?"

tyler grins widely. "y-yes. i'll text you then."

"alright, well. i'll see you tomorrow then, yeah?"

"y-yep! tomorrow." he bites down on his lip to prevent emitting a squeal.

"okay! well, just text me then. bye, tyler."

"bye, josh."

tyler hangs up, letting out a squeal in victory.

out of the twenty-seven years of tyler's life, the past two days alone have been the most...what's the word? he can't think of the word right now.

but, whatever that word is, he's never had that before. okay, he went on a double-date once with a girl in high school, along with his friend and his girlfriend. but, tyler being tyler, he wasn't very interested. in fact, him and his other friend kind of blew off the girls.

but, that's as close as he ever got. the rest have been mere one night stands, nothing else. no dates, no phone calls, no nothing. he never let any of the girls come to his apartment either, it was always their house or tyler would opt for the $60 motel room a few blocks away.

tyler knows who to call, though. his best friend, jenna. she lives on the right above tyler's apartment, on the fourth floor. they met about two years ago, when tyler ran into her on the elevator. she was the first girl to ever reject tyler, so of course they became best friends after that.

before he even has a chance to open her contact, she's knocking at the door. this wasn't uncommon, especially on a saturday night.

"tyler, open up!" she continues to bang on the door, as tyler pulls himself off of his bed and towards the door. "i know you're home!"

he unlocks the door and opens it, jenna coming in. "i was gonna come over last night, but you weren't home." she plops herself down onto his couch, grabbing the tv remote and flickering through the channels. she's wearing a pair of pj shorts and a tank top, platinum blonde hair pulled together into a messy bun, and her makeup for the day has been taken off.

"well yeah, it was friday night." he defends, taking a seat on the couch next to jenna. they're watching a rerun of the office.

jenna sighed. "yeah." she pulls her gaze from the tv to tyler, who's checking his phone. "holy shit, did tyler give someone his phone number?!" she exclaims, turning her body towards him.

"it's not a big deal," he mumbles, staring down at his lap.

"tyler joseph! it is and you know it! come on," she coaxes. "i want to know everything. tell me who she is." her bright blue eyes stare into tyler's dull brown ones.

"it's, uh. i went to...god," he blushes, avoiding jenna's stare. "it happened so fast, okay? i went to a...different club this time." he hopefully looks back up at her, but she only has a perplexed expression. "i went to a club where there's uh, men."

she stares at him blankly before speaking. "tyler joseph, are you trying to tell me you went to a gay club?"

"maybe...?" he says unconfidently.

her blank expression turns into a full grin, and any ounce of worry tyler had is gone, because jenna's grabbing his shoulders and pulling him in for a hug. "that's so great!" she squeals, and finally lets go of her death grip on him. "i'm just saying though, i knew it."

"you did not!" tyler playfully rolls his eyes.

"oh, i did too!" she argues, playfully hitting his arm. "remember when i made you watch magic mike with me and you were practically _drooling_ —"

"okay, enough!" he cuts her off, his blush deepening.

"alright, alright." she puts her hands up in defense. "i need more than that, though. who is the lucky guy?" she grins, full interest flickering in her eyes.

"his name's josh," tyler feels his heart swell just uttering his name. "he has, um, bright pink hair, this nose ring, and these gauges—not the giant ones—and he's kinda my height. he's much more muscular than me, though. oh, and he has this really cool sleeve of tattoos. he's also in a band, he's a drummer—what?" he's cut off by jenna's giggling.

"nothing, it's just," she chuckles again. "you have a crush." she teases.

"oh come on jenna, this isn't high school."

"it may as well be! you're talking like a teenage girl that's got a crush on a boy in her english class."

"no i'm not!"

"you so are. c'mon, tyler, i was a high schooler too once, y'know."

"whatever." he pouts.

"alright, his name's josh and he's a total punk. you have to tell me what the hell happened."

and so tyler did. he started off with how he walked over to the bar and saw him, how he bought him a drink, and that they ended up at josh's house. he finishes with the note josh gave him and the clothes (the note is folded and tucked in the front pocket of his jeans). oh, and that he just _might_ be going on a date tomorrow.

"wow, tyler. i have to say, i'm impressed." she admits. "i think out of the two years i've known you, you've never gone on a date. wait a minute," she raises her eyebrows. "have you _ever_ been on a date?"

"uh, not really," he's embarrassed again. tyler is never embarrassed, especially with jenna. "i was actually going to call you before you came over, though."

"ah, i see. you seek council from the one and only." she says with a mocking tone, giggling after she said it.

"precisely. i mean, like, what do i even wear? i'm a dude, do i have to dress up?"

"god, you are such an idiot."

"i take it that's a yes."

"yes, you dummy!" she pulls herself up off of the couch. "c'mon, let's see your closet."

* * *

 

"how about this?" she sifts through his closet, pulling out a plain white button-up and holding it up for tyler to see, who is sitting cross-legged on his bed.

"the last time i wore that was when i went to church." he scoffs.

"well, more the reason to wear it. you'll have god in mind when you decide to get dirty with him." tyler groans, throwing his pillow at her. "hey! just saying." she dodges the pillow.

"well, you're the expert, right?"

"duh," she chuckles. "really, though. wear this and just a pair of your jeans. black jeans, though. and a pair of your vans, but not the dirty red ones." she adds.

he decides not to argue, knowing that jenna knows what she's talking about. she tosses the shirt at tyler. he feels the fabric between his fingers; it feels starchy. "i should get going, though." she sighs you better text me tomorrow before your date, or i'll come over and kick your ass. get some sleep, it's late."

"duly noted. and i will." and it is late, tyler realizes as he checks his phone. it's 10:52.

he gives jenna a quick hug and goodbye at the door, before collapsing back on his bed, drifting to sleep with the thought of the pink-haired boy in his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this is so short and there is no josh in it but next chspter will be better and more eventful. also leave kudos/thoughts?? i appreciate all of them! i also hope theres no grammar mistakes


	3. date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello here is another chapter. i know, i know, pretty shocking that i've managed to update ANOTHER chapter so quickly. it's extremely (and sickeningly) fluffy and cheesy.
> 
> sorry that it's so short. i'm not really trying to make it that way, but i don't want to force the words either. im rly just practicing my writing with anything i write so im tryin<3

jenna: he pick you up yet?

tyler: not yet. it's 7:45, he said 8. he should be here soon

he types back, tucking his phone in his pocket. he adjusts the collar on the white button-up jenna suggested he wear. looking at himself through the bathroom mirror, he uses his fingers to tousle his hair; there's one piece that won't go where he wants, so he uses more hair gel to tame it. when he fluffs the ends, his phone buzzes in his pants. to his disappointment, it's not josh.

jenna: just let me know then. i also want a picture

tyler: jenna no

jenna: tyler yes! i have to know if he's as cute as you describe him

tyler: take my word for it

jenna: alright fine. i will THIS time  
jenna: next time i'll just have to meet him

tyler: we'll see

jenna: mmhhmm

tyler laughs to himself, tucking his phone back in his pocket. he smooths out a wrinkle in his button up, and fixes the cuffs of it. he messes with his hair one last time before he hears a knock on the door.

he freezes, looking at himself one last time. you can do this, he tells himself, but he's not entirely convinced. he should be, though, right? he let josh fuck him, for god's sake. he shouldn't be nervous about a date!

but he is, and finds it very hard to move from the bathroom out to the living room, where josh waits behind a door. he forces his legs to move down the hall and towards the door. his fingers grip the doorknob and he takes a deep breath. he opens the door.

and tyler can't help but stare, and let his jaw drop. josh's once cotton candy hair is now freshly redyed, the color of a pink highlighter. tyler's eyes travel down to his face, looking just as beautiful as it did the day before. his nose is still accompanied by the silver ring, and his ears still have black plugs in them. he's dressed in a button up similar to tyler's, except it's black. thank god jenna suggested tyler wear what he's wearing, because josh is wearing something of the like.

"hey," josh grins, pulling tyler out of his stare. tyler's eyes flicker back up to josh's, and something is a little different about them.

oh, wow. it's eyeliner. just a minimal amount, a thin black line tracing his top lash-line. it makes tyler feel a little dizzy, his mind spinning and wondering how this could get so much hotter just by accentuating his sparkly brown eyes.

"hi," he says breathlessly. "you look really, uh, n-nice."

"thank you," the older man blushes a little, and tyler finds that adorable. "you do, too."

"thanks," he mumbles.

"shall we?" josh motions outside.

"yeah," tyler smiles, grabbing his keys and locking the door behind him. while they wait for the elevator to come to the third floor, tyler quickly texts jenna.

tyler: just picked me up. ur clothing suggestion was good btw.

he steps into the elevator after josh offering him a shy smile as the doors closed. he's standing next to josh, leaning up against the back wall. the elevator door closes and begins to descend, accompanied by worrisome whooshes and whirls.

jenna: pic

tyler giggles, and josh looks at him questionably. "oh, i'm texting my uh, friend. jenna." he explains, josh nodding. "she keeps bothering me to take a creepy stalker picture of you."

"seems like quite the friend," josh chuckles. as tyler is about to text her back saying absolutely not, josh takes his iphone out of his hand and opens the camera. he poses with a grin and a thumbs up, snapping the selfie and handing the phone back to tyler. "you think that'll shut your friend up?" he grinned.

tyler laughs, sending the picture to jenna, typing "there. happy?" before getting a good look at the picture. it's adorable in every way and he feels his heart melt a little. "it's great."

the elevator dings and takes them to the lobby, tyler following josh until they make it to his car. he opens the door of his little red matchbox-like car for him, and he mumbles a "thank you" before sliding in and pulling his seatbelt over his lap, clicking it in as josh shuts his door and gets in the driver's seat. he shoves the keys in the ignition and pulls the car out of park, backing out of the parking lot.

jenna: holy shit tyler  
jenna: he's hot and i'm not just saying that he seriously is wtf

tyler just smiles and puts his phone back in his pocket, taking a minute to look over at josh. the street lights and stoplight reflect off of his porcelain skin, and jenna's absolutely right; he is hot, but more than just that.

"so, um, where are we going?" tyler asks innocently, trying his best not to sound annoying. the radio's volume is low enough that tyler can barely hear it, but still loud enough to suppress the silence.

"i don't know yet," he replies simply as the light changes to green, josh pressing on the gas pedal. "i figured we could just drive around until we find somewhere we want to go. i mean, we could do a fancy dinner, if you want to. but that just seems kind of boring."

"i'm glad you said that," and tyler is, he thought for sure he was going to take him to an overpriced dinner where they'd both probably feel awkward and bored. "let's just drive."

"i've always liked long drives." tyler comments after it gets silent for a minute or so.

"yeah?"

"yeah. i don't know. they kind of just relax me, for some reason. like, i can totally forget everything outside of this car, or something." he probably doesn't even make sense, and josh probably thinks he's weird.

but he doesn't. "i have the perfect place we can go to, then." josh grins, quickly making a detour and going left, onto backroads. "it's maybe twenty minutes from here, so it's not that far."

tyler nods, feeling anticipation grow in his stomach. josh's right hand rests itself on tyler's thigh, tyler taken aback slightly by the action. but, he smiles anyway and decides to put his hand over josh's, liking how his skin felt against josh's.

they don't talk much, but tyler doesn't feel the need to say anything to fill the silent void. it's comfortable, and tyler doesn't even feel awkward in the slightest. he's thankful for that; it feels nice to not have to force words out of his mouth, but rather just let them come naturally and truthfully.

tyler's never been to this part of town, he realizes. he's used to being right in the center of town, cars swooshing by every minute as tyler watches from behind the counter of the record shop. it's more desolate on these backroads, nothing but the farm fields, an occasional house, and him & josh.

 

> * * *
> 
>  

"what is this place?"

"you'll see," he responds simply, pulling into the parking lot.

"oh, wait, is this, like, a drive-in movie theater?"

"i mean, we don't have to go here if you don't want—"

"josh," he cuts him off. "it's perfect. i've never been to one."

"i've been here a few times with my dad when i was younger. they usually just play classic 80's movies."

josh pays for the movie and tyler feels kind of bad and offers to pay for himself. josh simply tells him not to worry about it.

 

 

josh has chosen a spot in the back of the lot right in the middle. tyler starts absentmindedly eating the popcorn in his lap, waiting for the movie to start.

"really, tyler joseph?" josh's tone alarms him. "i can't believe you. eating popcorn before the movie starts?" he grins.

"since when was that a rule?!" he exclaims. "what movie is playing today, anyway?" he changes the subject, shoving another handful into his mouth.

"the breakfast club at uh, 8:30." he looks down at the ticket. "so, in like five or ten minutes.

tyler nods. "i've never seen this movie before."

josh exaggeratedly gasps. "what?! you eat popcorn before a movie starts, and you've never seen one of the greatest movies of all time? what have i gotten myself into?" he jokingly shakes his head, taking a sip of his soda and putting it back in the cupholder.

"i don't know, josh. i mean, i'm pretty dangerous."

"clearly."

 

* * *

 

"honestly, the brian kid is hot."

"dude, you're telling me. i totally crushed over him when i first watched this movie. i think he may have turned me gay."

"for me, it was either justin timberlake or zac efron. i don't know. probably jt though, n'sync was my shit."

"really? n'sync?" josh cackles. "okay, i'll give it to you, though. justin is good looking."

"okay, shut up now, josh."

 

 

"holy shit, do you think that cherry's actor had to practice that before this movie?"

"i dunno. maybe all girls can do it."

"no way. i mean, some girls don't have big enough boobs for that, do they?"

"good point, joseph. i wonder if i were straight, if this would turn me on or not."

"eh," tyler shrugs. "there's hotter things."

"yeah? like what?"

"you." tyler responds coyly, turning his head away from the screen to look at josh. yep, what he just said was absolutely true. tyler leans over the console and presses his lips to josh's, moving against them for a moment before pulling off. "isn't kissing on the first date, like, against the rules or something?"

"i think we are well past that point."

"yeah," tyler agrees breathlessly. "can i try something?"

"what, you aren't interested in the movie?"

"well, i'm a little distracted now."

"really? by what?" he smirks, innocently.

"that god damn eyeliner isn't helping." tyler chuckles.

"you like i-it," his sentence is cut off by tyler's lips attached to his jaw, kissing down it until he's made it to right below his ear, feeling josh shudder. tyler ventures down the column of his neck, sucking into the junction above the collar of his shirt and neck until its purple. " _tyler_."

tyler kisses his neck a couple more times before pulling off with a smirk. he was much more nervous with josh last night, but now he realizes he really has nothing to worry about; josh seems to be just as affected by tyler as tyler is affected by josh with the way he's shuddering and gripping his arm. "i've never done that before."

"what, given someone a hickey?" he raises his eyebrows. "you sure don't act like it."

"i've slept around with people, but...i don't know. god, this is kind of embarrassing but this is kind of, um, my first date?" he says it with little confidence.

"really? tyler, that's uh," tyler grimaces, prepared for josh to say his worst. "that's kind of cute."

"kind of?"

"well, it is. i haven't really done this either. well, i have, but it's been, um, years. c'mon, there's like twenty minutes left of the movie, and the ending is like, the best part."

tyler disagrees with that first part. josh is definitely the best part. he doesn't say it out loud, though.

 

* * *

 

"oh, come on josh, that ending was so cliche."

"no it wasn't! it was exactly the opposite of that."

"whatever you say, josh."

"fine, i'll let your _wrong_ opinion slide. only because i like you and would really like to do it again." he smiles, tyler leaned against the door of his apartment and josh standing in front of him.

"yeah, me too."

josh takes his jaw between his fingers, tyler sucking in a breath. he leans in to give tyler a quick goodbye kiss, but tyler's not having it. he pulls on josh's collar, the older man making a 'mmph' sound, but moving his lips nonetheless. he bites on josh's bottom lip causing him to groan, tyler immediately pulling off when he did that. "tyler, i..."

"i'll see you soon."

he opens his door and quickly closes it, leaving a dumbfounded josh and a stupidly infatuated tyler.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did u like it??? i have plans fkr the next chapter ALREADY. this is so weird im usually never this inspired but i got big plans for tbis fic  
> oh and sorry for that weird indent thing. idk how to fix it so im just gonna leave it bc ill probably just make it worse
> 
>  
> 
> thank you for every single kudos and comment. i see all of them and appreciate all of them<3 u guys really inspire me to keep writing and cliche as that sounds and i cant wait to read and respond to all of your comments


	4. work

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! here's a really short chapter. i wish i could make it longer but i decided im just gonna go with it, i'll improve over time.

tyler is sad.

of course, being blue is nothing uncommon for him. he always feels like a block of ice, but it's hard to thaw him. he has no source of heat that is capable of doing so.

although, the music helps. like beating out a melody on his keyboard or spinning a record. it usually makes him feel better, at least for a little while. he's tried that, though. but nothing can stop that dull ache in his chest. all because of a stupid boy.

tyler: pink haired punk is making me sad. can u come over?

jenna texts him back almost immediately.

jenna: i'm coming over right now.

and, sure enough, there was a knock on his door not even a minute later. she must've sprinted down the stairwell, tyler thinks.

the door's unlocked so she lets herself in, deliberately coming into tyler's bedroom and throwing herself on it, right next to tyler. "alright, spill it."

tyler huffs. "he hasn't called or texted since we went on our date."

"really? when was that, three days ago?"

"yeah."

"did you try calling him or texting him?"

"i don't want to bother him."

"tyler!" she sits up from her grave, looking sternly at him. "you won't bother him. it's one text."

jenna's right, tyler knows that. it's something in him that just can't do it. he can't send a text; his heart is ice cold too, he figures.

"i mean, i know you never date people, but you're usually the one to initiate things?" she says it more like a question than a statement.

"i know, it's just, ugh. he makes me feel...mushy. and i don't like it."

"aw, does tyler have a _crushhh_?" she teases, but tyler just pouts his lip in return. "sorry. look, if he doesn't call or text you back by tomorrow, he's out of his mind. you're a great guy, tyler, really. and i know i joke with you all the time but i mean it, not to be cliche or anything. forget him if he doesn't text you. but your thumbs aren't broken, either."

"yeah, okay. i'll just wait another day, i guess. then i'll text him."

"yeah, i'll make sure you will. i'll come by tomorrow after work, alright? i'll add some movies to our netflix queue."

tyler smiles. he's so lucky to have jenna. she's always the one there to ease some of the dark thoughts that keep him up. she always seems to know what to do, whether it be making tyler laugh or giving him advice. it's usually a combination of the two. it makes tyler feel less frozen than he is. it's a mere illusion, but it helps for the time being.

 

* * *

 

it's nine am right now, which means tyler will have to stand behind the counter for about two hours with literally nothing to do. hardly anyone ever comes in on wednesday mornings, hardly on wednesdays at all, for that matter. but, tyler loves organization. he's always finding records out of place from lazy customers, so he decides to take his morning and do that.

so he does that, finding a prince album in the letter a section, a green day album in the letter f, and a couple more albums in the a-g section that were out of place. he could do this for the whole day, if he wanted to. mike, the boss and owner, carries thousands of used records and theyre stacked on shelves upon shelves. while he is putting the prince album back in the p section, the door chimes, signaling that there's a customer. he puts the album in its proper place, then rushes up to the front to greet the customer.

"hello, welcome to mike's record shop, how can i—"

"hi."

"uh, hello." tyler puts on his happy face; mike usually scolds tyler to smile more, because he always looks like "a sad boy that didn't get a puppy for christmas like he asked." "can i help you with anything, sir?"

the man presses his lips into a thin line, scanning tyler from head to toe. "are you josh's boyfriend, tyler?"

boyfriend? "uh, well i—"

"well, shit. it is." he holds out his hand. "brendon. i'm a close friend of josh's." he offers tyler a friendly smile, and tyler takes his hand, giving it a firm shake. josh's friend was pretty cute, actually. he had mussy brown hair and brown eyes like josh's. "listen, josh is...different. he's not...he's not like most guys. accept him for that. and don't fuck with him, alright?"

and he's out the door just as soon as he came in, before tyler can ask why he was even there. tyler's never seen this guy come here before, so what the hell?

different? what the hell is that supposed to mean? he's going to have to ask jenna about this later, she knows the answer to everything.

 

* * *

 

tyler's shift is finally over at 6pm, and he's organized most of the inventory. tyler counts the money in the drawer and moves it to the safe in backroom, before turning off most of the lights and closing up. he flips the 'open' sign to 'closed,' exiting the chiming door and turning the lock.

"hello?"

he hears a voice behind him which scares the shit out of tyler, causing him to gasp and then drop the store keys. with a huff, he leans down to pick them up. "i'm sorry, we're closed, sir. you'll have to come back tomorrow mor—"

he turns around and stands back up.

and there josh is, in all his beauty. he's wearing a plain black t-shirt and a pair of adida's sweatpants that cling to his thighs. he has his snapback on backwards, tufts of pink hair poking out.

" _josh?!_ what the hell are you doing here?" he exclaims, still mad at him for not calling and for scaring the shit out of him.

"listen, i'm...i'm sorry, alright? i wanted to call you, but i just, um, i've been really busy with the band and i felt like, um, i was only bothering you if i texted you because you seem like a busy person and you shouldn't waste your time on me and—"

"josh?"

josh stops his rambling, looking at tyler.

"it's um, it's okay. i didn't call either, i should've."

he nods.

"and i'm not wasting time on you, okay? i really, uh, had fun with you on saturday." he stares at his feet.

"so, we're, um, we're cool, right?"

he looks back up at josh. "yeah."

"cool. listen, do you uh, you want to drive down to the lake tomorrow night and just have a couple beers or something? or something else, it doesn't matter to me s'long as i can be with you."

tyler blushes. what a cliche, he thinks to himself. nonetheless, tyler finds it sweet. "uh, no thanks."

josh's smile falters. "wha...what?"

tyler tries really hard to keep a straight face, but he's bursting out into laughter.

"you're an ass!" he elbows his arm.

"you made it too easy. but, really, the lake sounds great. text me, though."

"of course," he nods his head.

"oh and, uh, who the hell is brendon?"

josh chuckles. "i'd love to tell you all about him right now, but i have to go. i made plans with a, uh, friend. and for me to tell you about him, that'd take me forever."

"alright, you'll just have to tell me tomorrow, then. have fun with your friend."

josh leans in and tyler instinctively flutters his eyes shut; the kiss lands on his cheek. "bye, tyler."

he walks away, and tyler feels cold again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'll get to writing the next chapter asap. sorry if things seem to be slowing down a lot, i'm going to make the next chapter a lot more interesting (hopefully)

**Author's Note:**

> hiii let me know what u think? i love comments and will do my best to respond!
> 
>  
> 
> edit: i wasnt planning on making this into a fic, but it just kinda happened. im not sure how much i wanna do with this, could be 10 chapters could be 20 idk but i thought it would be fun to continue it


End file.
